Snow shovelling apparatus



Sept. 30, 1969 E. MALICKSON SNOW SHOVELLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 16. 1967 Sept. 30, 1969 E. MALICKSON SNOW SHOVELLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets Sheet File d May 16, 1967 INVENTOR EPHRAIM MALICKSON BY MM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,469,326 SNOW SHOVELLING APPARATUS Ephraim Malickson, RD. 1, Phoenixville, Pa. 19460 Filed May 16, 1967, Ser. No. 638,975 Int. Cl. E0111 5/06, 3/02; B62b 11/00 US. C]. 37-53 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a snow shovelling apparatus of the manually operable type comprising a scoop which can be operated to lift and discharge snow without the necessity for the operator bending over and lifting a heavy scoop full of snow as in the ordinary manual snow shovelling procedure.

As is well known, the repeated bending over and lifting involved in the normal snow shovelling procedure is the source of injuries to the heart and back and it is an object of this invention to provide a snow shovelling apparatus which minimizes the physical exertion involved in shovelling of snow to thereby reduce the possibility of physical injuries.

The prior devices of the indicated type have not been entirely successful primarily because they are either too complicated in construction or too difficult to operate effectively. For example, the prior art devices require a combined twisting or turning action and a downward movement of a handle in order to raise the snow from the ground and deposit it to the side of the snow removing apparatus. Also, these prior devices are not particularly effective in discharging the snow to the side a sufiicient distance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly stated, in accordance with the invention there is provided a snow shovelling apparatus supported for ease of movement across the ground and carrying a scoop at its forward end. The scoop is movably mounted for movement from a snow shovelling position along the ground through an upward movement during which the scoop is turned to an inclined position with the bottom thereof facing to the side of the apparatus. A handle is mounted on the body and is connected to the scoop so as to cause the snow flipping movement thereof in response to a simple downward movement of the handle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The snow shovelling apparatus disclosed in the drawings comprises a generally rectangular body consisting of a rectangular top wall 10 and four downwardly extending walls 11, 12, 13, and 14. Four wheels 16 are rotatably mounted on axles mounted in side walls 11 and 13 by conventional mounting means as is shown in FIGURE 2. The wheels 16 provide for ease of movement of the apparatus across the ground.

There is provided a snow scoop indicated generally at 20 and comprising a bottom 22, a pair of side walls 24 and 26 and a rear wall 28, the side and rear walls projecting upwardly from the bottom as is illustrated in the drawings. The scoop 20 thus provides a configuration for receiving a substantial quantity of snow.

Means are provided for mounting the scoop 20 on the body for movement relative thereto. Such means comprise a pair of upright support posts 30 and 32 having flanges at their lower ends. The lower ends of the support posts 30 and 32 are secured to the top wall 10 of the body by means of mounting screws in securing engagement between the flanges and the top wall 10. A pivot member 40 is journalled at its ends in the upper ends of support posts 30 and 32. The pivot member thus rotates about a pivotal axis defined by its longitudinal axis. It will be noted that the parts are arranged so that the pivotal axis of pivot member 40 extends horizontally and at an angle of approximately 45 to the longitudinal plane of the apparatus. The purpose of this arrangement will become apparent hereafter.

The scoop 20 is rigidly connected to the pivot member 40 by means of a structure consisting of a forwardly extending arm 42 and a backing plate 44. The backing plate 44 is secured, as by bolts, to the rear wall 28 of the scoop 20. The forward end of the arm 42 is secured to the plate 44, as by a suitable welding connection, and the rear end of the arm 42 is secured to the pivot member 40, as by welding.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, it is noted that the scoop mounting means, which includes support posts 30 and 32, pivot member 40, arm 42 and backing plate 44, permits movement of the scoop 20 from the snow receiving position (shown in solid lines) in which the scoop extends along the ground and faces forwardly of the body to a snow discharging position (shown in dotted lines) in which the scoop is raised above the ground to extend in a substantially vertical plane and face toward the side of the body.

The apparatus is provided with a scoop actuating means including a handle bar 50 consisting of a pair of bars joined together to provide a pair of handles 52 and 54 at its upper end and a pair of legs 56 and 58 at its lower end, the handle bar 50 extending upwardly and rearwardly from the body. The handles 52 and 54 extend laterally and are adapted to be grasped by an operator of the apparatus. The legs 56 and 58 provide a forked arrangement with the lower ends being pivotally mounted on a pair of pivot pins 60 and 62, respectively, mounted on the top wall 10 of the body. The pivot pins 60 and 62 extend horizontally and are axially aligned. By this arrangement, the handle bar 50 is mounted for pivotal movement about the pins 60 and 62 with the handles 52 and 54 moving upwardly and downwardly in an are about the horizontal axis extending through pins 60 and 62.

At its upper end, the handle bar 50 is provided with an extension 64, best shown in FIGURE 1. The extension 64 extends upwardly and forwardly from the handles 52 and 54 so as to be accessible for grasping by the operator.

Means are provided for connecting the actuating means to the snow scooping means for transmitting the movement applied to the handle bar 50 by the operator to the scoop 20. To this end, there is provided an arm 70 extending generally upwardly from the arm 42 and secured, as by welding, at its lower end to the arm 42. A cable 72 is connected in tension between a pin 74 carried on the upper end of arm 70 above pivot member 40 and a pin 76 mounted in the handle bar 50 at a rearward location adjacent the handle bars 52 and 54.

A plate 78 having a generally triangular shape is fixedly secured to the pivot member 40 for movement therewith. A cable 80 is connected in tension between a pin 82 mounted on a portion of plate 78 below pivot member 40 and the pin 76 mounted in the handle bar 50. The cable 80 extends downwardly from the pin 76 around a guide 84 mounted on a bar 86 secured to the rear wall 12 of the body and extending rearwardly therefrom. The cable 80 passes from the guide 84 through an opening in the end of bar 86 and forwardly to the pin 82.

It will be apparent from a consideration of FIGURE 1 that cable 72 is arranged so that when the actuating means handle bar 50 is moved downwardly from the solid line position shown in FIGURE 1 to the dotted line position shown therein, the cable 72 is placed in tension and serves to actuate the arm 70 and pivot member 40 through a clockwise movement as viewed in FIGURE 1. It will be noted that the various parts of the snow scooping means are secured together for conjoint movement, namely scoop 20, arm 42 and pivot member 40, wherefore the clockwise movement of arm 70 results in a similar movement of these connected parts. It will also be apparent that an upward movement of the actuating means handle bar 50 is transmitted by way of cable 80, plate 78 and pivot arm 40, to the scoop 20 to cause a downward movement thereof from the dotted line position to the solid line position. Briefly stated, it is noted that the cables 72 and 80 act through theoretical lever arms relative to pivot member 40 to apply forces in different directions about the pivotal axis of pivot member 40 when these cables are placed in tension by the movement of the handle bar 50.

Means are provided to lock the scoop 20 against rotation even when the handle bar 50 is moved downwardly, the object of this being to facilitate maneuverability of the apparatus by permitting it to be raised on its rear wheels in response to downward movement of the handles. To this end, there is provided a flexible cable of the conventional type comprising a sheath 90 containing a cable 92 therein whereby the cable 92 is guided for linear movement in either direction within the sheath 9.0. One end of the cable 92 is connected to an operating knob 94 mounted in a bracket 96 mounted on the upper end of the handle bar 50 near the handle 54. The other end of the cable 92 is connected to a lock pin 98 guided for longitudinal movement within a bushing 100 secured to the top wall of the body. The parts are arranged so that the lock pin 98 is guided for movement into and out of a position forwardly of the lower forward edge 102 of plate 78. Accordingly, when the lock pin 98 is in the blocking position in front of edge 102 of plate 78, the plate 78 is locked against clockwise rotation about the axis of the pivot member 40. Moreover, since the various parts are secured together, i.e., plate 78, pivot member 40, arm 42 and arm 70, all the parts are locked against pivotal movement in a clockwise direction about the axis of pivot member 40. Thus, when the handles 52 and 54 are pushed downwardly with the lock pin 98 in the blocking position, the apparatus will pivot about the rear wheels with the scoop 20 and front wheels lifting off the ground. This facilitates the maneuverability of the apparatus so that it can be moved without the scoop and front wheels dragging across the ground.

In the operation of the apparatus, the operator makes certain that the lock pin 98 is retracted out of the position blocking plate 78 and he pushes forward on the handles 52 and 54 to thereby move the body and the scoop 20 forwardly until the scoop is full of snow. The operator then pushes rapidly downwardly on the handles 52 and 54 whereby the handle bar 50 pivots about its lower end at pins 60 and 62. By way of example, the parts may move from the solid line position to the dotted line position shown in FIGURE 1. After handle bar 50 starts to pivot about pins 60 and 62, the cable 72 is placed in tension and pulls the arms 70 and 42 rearwardly whereby they pivot in a clockwise direction about the pivotal axis of pivot member 40. The scoop 20 is also moved in a clockwise direction about the pivotal axis of member 40. Since this pivotal axis is at a 45 angle relative to the longitudinal extent of the body, the scoop is not only pivoted upwardly, but it is moved to a substantially vertical position, best shown in FIGURE 2, in which the snow receiving portion thereof faces to the side of the body. By moving the handle bar 50 through a rapid movement, the operator can impart what may be termed a flipping action to the scoop 20 to thereby throw the snow laterally to the side of the apparatus. In other words, the snow will be flipped out of the scoop 20 to the right of the operator. The pivoting movement of the scoop 20 is limited by a stop mean provided by end portion 79 of plate 78. Referring to FIGURE 3, the plate moves from the solid line to the dotted line position whereat end portion 79 comes into contact with top wall 10 to stop the pivotal movement after rotation of about 90.

It will be evident that the snow flipping action can be varied at the control of the operator. For example, by moving the handle downwardly very rapidly for a short distance, the operator can effect the 90 snow flipping movement of the scoop by utilizing of the momentum of the scoop itself. Also, by varying the speed at which the handle is moved downwardly, it is possible to control the distance through which the snow is thrown.

To return the apparatus to the initial position shown in solid lines in the drawings, the operator simply raises the handle upwardly. This action releases the tension in cable 72 and normally the weight of the mechanism serves to return the scoop 20 back to the ground. If the ground is not level and slants downwardly to the operators right, the weight of the scoop 20 may not be effective to return it to the ground. However, after a short upward movement of the handle bar 50, the cable is placed in tension, and, by reason of its connection to the pivot member 40, it causes a counter-clockwise movement of the pivot member 40 and the scoop 20 and other parts connected thereto.

It will be apparent that the operator can repeat this shovelling procedure to clear a path of snow as desired.

Under some snow conditions it is desirable for the operator to press the front edge of the scoop 20 downwardly onto the ground with a small force. The operator can do this simply by raising the handles 52 and 54 upwardly until the rear wheels leave the ground if necessary. It will be apparent that if the handle is raised too far the body will eventually rotate relative to the scoop 20 so that there is a limit to the downward pushing force which can be achieved.

If the operator desires to provide a rigid connection between the body and the scoop, he simply pushes the knob 94 inwardly to place the lock pin 98 in the blocking position in front of edge 102 of plate 78. In this condition of the parts, the operator can raise the handles 52 and 54 upwardly without any relative pivotal movement occuring between the body and the scoop 20 whereby he can create a large downward force on the front edge of the scoop 20. Also, with the lock pin 98 in the blocking position, the operator can raise the front wheels and the scoop 20 off the ground by pushing down on the handles. This gives the operator the ability to steer around corners with ease and perform other movements of the apparatus without skidding the front wheels or the scoop on the ground.

It will be noted that by the provision of the upward extension 64, it is not necessary for the operator to bend down at all while pushing the handle bar 50 close to the ground. This avoids the physical strain of bending over and the possible injuries which could result therefrom can be minimized.

It is to be noted that the normal position of the handles, as shown in solid lines in FIGURE 1, can be adjusted by varying the lengths of the cables 72 and 80.

Also, to facilitate storage of the apparatus, the cable 80 may be disconnected at either end so as to permit movement of the actuating means 50 forwardly. This reduces the overall length of the apparatus. Also, the scoop 20 may be removed from the backing plate 44 by disengaging the bolts securing the same to this backing p ate.

In FIGURES 4 and 5 there is shown a modified form of scoop which can beused under conditions where the snow can be pushed easily to the side. This scoop, which is in the form of a plow, is indicated generally at 110 and can be mounted on the backing plate 44 by means of mounting bolts. The plow 110 comprises a lower inclined surface 112 having positioned thereon a V-shaped plow means comprising a pair of vertical extending walls 114 and 116 spreading outwardly from a forward apex 118 toward the rear of the plow. A second rearwardly and upwardly inclined surface 120 is provided across the upper edges of the walls 114 and 116. A second V-shaped plow means is formed on top of the upper surface 120 by means of a pair of vertically extending walls 122 and 124 which spread outwardly from a forward apex 126 recessed rearwardly from the lower apex 118. A top wall 130 extends across the upper edges of the Walls 122 and 124.

In operation, if the plow 110 is pushed into the snow, the snow slides up surface 112 and is moved to the side by the walls 114 and 116. If the snow is deeper than the height of the walls 114 and 116, it slides up surface 120 which raises it while the vertical walls 122 and 124 push it to the side. By reason of the construction of the plow 110, less snow is caused to be compressed as compared with the horizontal plows of the prior art.

When the operator finds that too much snow has been built up on the plow 110, he pushes the handle bar 50 downwardly to flip off the snow in the manner described above with respect to FIGURES 1 to 3.

It will be apparent that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, various forms of snow scooping means may be used, such as shovels, and the term scoop as used herein is not intended to be limited to the specific type disclosed. Also, while the device is shown as being manually operable, it will be obvious that it can be attached to a self-propelled vehicle and the handle may be power operated. Accordingly, it is not desired to be limited except as required by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Snow shovelling apparatus comprising a body adapted for movement across the ground, a snow scooping means carried by said body and including a scoop providing a snow receiving surface and means mounting said scoop on said body for movement from a snow receiving position in which the snow receiving surface of said scoop extends along the ground and forwardly of said body to a snow discharging position in which the snow receiving surface of said scoop is raised above the ground, extends in a plane substantially vertical to the ground and faces to the side of said body, scoop actuating means mounted on said body and having a handle mounted for movement downwardly from a position above the ground, and means connecting said actuating means to said snow scooping means for moving said scoop from said snow receiving position to said snow discharging position in response to the downward movement of said handle, said scoop mounting means including a pivot member mounted for rotation on a pivotal axis and means securing said scoop to said pivot member whereby said scoop pivots about said pivotal axis, said pivotal axis extending substantially horizontally and at a substantial angle to the longitudinal vertical plane of said body.

2. Snow shovelling apparatus according to claim 1 including means for locking said pivot member against rotation in said one direction, said locking means being movable into and out of its locking position.

3. Snow shovelling apparatus according to claim 1 including stop means for limiting the rotation of said pivot member when said scoop means reaches said snow discharging position.

4. Snow shovelling apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said scoop comprises a bottom inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the forward edge and a pair of walls extending upwardly from said inclined bottom and spreading outwardly in the rearward direction from an apex at the forward end.

5. Snow shovelling apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said scoop comprises a second wall inclined upwardly and rearwardly and extending between the top edge of said pair of walls, and means defining a V-plow above said second inclined wall with the apex facing forwardly.

6. Snow shovelling apparatus comprising a body adapted for movement across the ground, a snow scooping means carried by said body and including a scoop providing a snow receiving surface and means mounting said scoop on said body and guiding the same for guided movement from a snow receiving position in which the snow receiving surface of said scoop extends along the ground and forwardly of said body to a snow discharging position in which the entire snow receiving surface of said scoop is raised above the ground, extends in a plane substantially vertical to the ground and faces to the side of said body, scoop actuating means mounted on said body and having a handle mounted for movement downwardly in a generally straight vertical plane from a position above the ground, and means connecting said actuating means to said snow scooping means for causing, in one motion, said guided movement of said scoop from said snow receiving position to said snow discharging position in response to the straight downward movement of said handle.

7. Snow shovelling apparatus comprising a body adapted for movement across the ground, a snow scooping means carried by said body and including a scoop providing a snow receiving surface and means mounting said scoop on said 'body for movement from a snow receiving position in which the snow receiving surface of said scoop extends along the ground and forwardly of said body to a snow discharging position in which the snow receiving surface of said scoop is raised above the ground, extends in a plane substantially vertical to the ground and faces to the side of said body, scoop actuating means mounted on said body and having a handle mounted for movement downwardly from a position above the ground, and means connecting said actuating means to said snow scooping means for moving said scoop from said snow receiving position to said snow discharging position in response to the downward movement of said handle, said actuating means including a bar pivotally mounted on said body and extending rearwardly from said pivotal mounting, said handle being located at a rearward portion of said bar, said means connecting said actuating means to said snow scooping means including a cable connected in tension between said scoop means and a rearward portion of said pivoted bar so that the downward movement of said handle is transmitted to said scoop means by way of said cable.

8. Snow shovelling apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said scoop mounting means includes a pivot member mounted for rotation on a pivotal axis and means securing said scoop to said pivot member whereby said scoop pivots about said pivotal axis and said means connecting said actuating means to said snow scooping means includes a pivot arm secured to said pivot memher for movement therewith, said cable being connected to said pivot arm in the manner so that said pivot member rotates about said pivotal axis in one direction in 2,315,743 4/1943 Sieg 294-54 response to the downward movement of said handle. 2 441 49 5 194 Shaw 7 53 X 1 Snow shovglling apparatus according to claim 8 in- 2 470 217 5/1949 McLoughfin 37 53 c u ing a secon pivot arm secured to said pivot memher for rotation therewith, a second cable connected in 5 2720043 10/1955 Chafnberhn 37 53 tension between a rearward portion of said bar and said 3 L 6/1962 Whlte 3753 second pivot arm, said second cable being arranged in a 3,310,891 3/1967 Sachaczenski 37-53 manner so as to move said second pivot arm and said pivot member in a direction opposite to said one direc- ROBERT PULFREY, 'y EXamlIlel' tion in response to the upward movement of said handle. 10 EICKHOLT Assistant Examiner References Cited US, Cl, X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 37-130; 254-1315; 280-47.26; 294-54 801,090 10/1905 Kenney 37-49 

